The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Lusófona University will inaugurate two new infrastructures aimed at strengthening teaching, research, and the provision of veterinary care: the University Veterinary Clinic for Companion Animals in Lisbon, and the Catapereiro Livestock Hospital, in Companhia das Lezírias, as announced in a press release.
According to the same source, the first opens its doors on October 9, on Avenida da Igreja, in Lisbon, and aims to respond to the growing demand for services at the University Veterinary Hospital and to the increase in the number of Veterinary Medicine students.
With 10 consultation rooms, radiology areas, and spaces dedicated to oncology, the new clinic will provide a range of capabilities, including dermatology, ophthalmology, cardiology, hematology, animal behavior and welfare, exotic animals and internal medicine.
The new facility will also have a teaching component. The consultation rooms will be used in classes, allowing students to follow real clinical cases, while the caseload gathered by the Faculty will continue to serve as the basis for applied research projects.
“This new facility allows us to expand what we already do today at the hospital, responding to a demand that already exceeds the capacity of the current facilities. But it is also an extension of our teaching-hospital model, enabling students to be in direct contact with real cases and with the variety of situations that are part of the reality of Veterinary Medicine,” says Laurentina Pedroso, director of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Lusófona University.
The University Veterinary Hospital currently receives animals not only from the Greater Lisbon area but also from other regions of the country, including Alentejo and the Algarve. Among its referrers are veterinarians, animal protection associations, and municipal entities.
Livestock Hospital at Companhia das Lezírias
The second infrastructure is being developed at Catapereiro, in the Companhia das Lezírias, and will be devoted mainly to livestock species and medium- and large-sized animals, including cattle, horses, sheep, goats and pigs. The inauguration is scheduled for November.
The location, in an area with agricultural and agropecuary activity, will bring training and the provision of veterinary care closer to the realities of sector professionals. The hospital will have capabilities in medicine, surgery, reproduction, and inpatient care, and will be able to receive cases that require specialized means or teams.
The space will also include a necropsy room and about 500 square meters of laboratories dedicated to research. The infrastructure should also function as support for field veterinarians, receiving animals referred for interventions or diagnostic means that are not available in proximity practice.
“Having a livestock hospital in an agricultural and agropecuary area allows us to be closer to farmers and to the reality of the profession. We want to continue meeting the sector’s needs and, at the same time, create conditions for our students to have direct contact with that reality,” says Laurentina Pedroso.
Emergency response for animals
The Catapereiro project also includes a Center of Competences in Animal Rescue and Resilience, designed for crisis, emergency, or disaster situations involving animals.
The structure should be able to accommodate, treat, recover, and refer animals affected by larger-scale occurrences, including accidents, floods, or other extreme events. The Faculty expects that it will be able to receive animals from different regions of the country.
Thus, the two new infrastructures cover distinct areas of Veterinary Medicine but are based on the same model of linking academic training, research and response to community needs. While the Lisbon clinic focuses on companion animals, the Catapereiro Livestock Hospital adds a specialized response for livestock species and for emergency situations.
